Press Release
February 5, 2009
Davao City – Unsurprised by the decision of the House committee on constitutional amendment to railroad charter change, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) expressed here today its readiness to head-on with any move that seeks to amend the constitution.
Bayan also warned the public to be as vigilant as ever considering that Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her political allies are known masters of deceits, power greed, and shameless manipulators of evil practices in the government.
"The Arroyo administration has uttered so many lies in the past and for so many times was caught doing so. Its offhand posturing on the issue of charter change won't buy any trust from the people, whom it deceived during the "Hello Garci" controversy, the NBN-ZTE deal scandal, and many others that have not yet come out to the open," Bayan spokesperson John Birondo said.
"What can be more obvious than to see Cong. Prospero Nograles, the speaker of the House and Gloria Arroyo's staunchest ally in the House of Congress, doing the groundwork for the final operations of charter change that Malacañang can deny its participation in it?" Birondo added.
"More incredibly, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile's "ok statement" for a constituent assembly to merely discuss and approve amendments on economic provisions of the constitution can expunge the fact that charter change is Malacañang's only hope for Gloria Arroyo's term extension," Birondo stressed.
"The design and machineries for charter change are now evidently working to destroy all legal impediments to its completion. The arguments on how charter change will be taken-up, either by constituent assembly or constitutional convention, would require the Supreme Court's intervention and it is no co-incidence that the upcoming appointments of SC's new justices will happen amidst the railroading of cha cha," Birondo warned.
"This goes to show that Gloria Arroyo's upcoming appointees in the Supreme Court are designed to be seated in their positions to ensure that a constituent assembly be formalized to take-up cha cha," Birondo added.
"The people's real pulse is to end Gloria Arroyo's presidency and her machinations of anti-people policies. The kind of charter change that the Arroyo administration is lobbying won't save our nation from the crises that they, themselves, have caused to happen," Birondo said.
Bayan stressed the urgency of social change that roots from the needs of the people for stable jobs, higher wages, land to till, decent shelters, affordable prices of basic commodities, access to social services for health, food, and education, and the respect for human rights.
"We are set to begin our barangay forums this month to educate the people of Davao about the real contents of charter change vis-à-vis the worsening global financial crisis. This effort is in cooperation with the city's local government units and other people's organizations under Bayan," Birondo announced.
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